Defensive Player of the Year
Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors – The former Michigan State spartan remains in the top spot this week. Green has been durable (61 games played) and dominant, as he leads the NBA in both defensive rating and defensive win shares on an individual basis. Andrew Bogut is arguably the centerpiece of the Golden State defense, but the 7-footer has only seen the floor in 48 games (with 23.6 minutes per contest), and Green is easily the biggest individual reason for Golden State’s top-ranked defense. Voters must see past the lack of “traditional” stats for Green’s candidacy and simply watch a player who can guard every position on the floor with effectiveness and versatility. He’s a monster.
Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies – Gasol isn’t spectacular to watch, at least for the casual fan. He isn’t the high-end athlete who swats away shots with highlight-reel effort around the rim, and Gasol doesn’t need to be flying around with visible intensity that invigorates the crowd. What he has been, though, is a positional monster. The 7-footer is always in the right place, he is an above-average rim protector, and his work against the pick-and-roll is wizardry at times. Memphis would rank as the best defensive team in the NBA (97.4 points per 100 possessions allowed) if he could play the entire game, and the Grizzlies would be lost without him.
DeAndre Jordan, Los Angeles Clippers – We hear you, Doc. Jordan isn’t the best defensive player in the league, but he has been extremely effective on that end of the floor this season. Perhaps his best asset is the ability to end possessions, as Jordan leads the NBA in defensive rebounding by more than 70 (!) total boards over the course of the season. Of course, he is also a high-end shot blocker (top-five in the NBA) and while the Clippers are simply a middle-of-the-pack defensive team, which hurts his case, LA is more than 3 points better per 100 possessions on that end when he plays. Doc Rivers comes off as a crazy person when he suggests that Jordan is the best by a wide margin, but he’s still pretty darn good.
Next: Rookie of the Year